Itajai Stopover. Signing the UN Clean Seas pledge. 18 April, 2018.

In a first for Brazil and South America, the port city of Itajaí has provided a benchmark for other cities by committing to the United Nations Environment campaign to rid our oceans of plastic at an event in the Race Village.

Volnei Moratoni, the Mayor of Itajaí, in the state of Santa Catarina, signed up to the ambitious campaign and laid out his ambitions to tackle the crisis affecting our seas. Globally, a truckload of plastic ends up in our seas every minute. The mayor was inspired to sign up to the campaign after visiting New Zealand during the Volvo Ocean Race stopover. In Auckland, the New Zealand government signed up to the campaign.

The announcement was made during a Future of the Oceans event in the Race Village to explore solutions to the plastic problem.

Read the full press release here.

The Volvo Ocean Race returns to Newport from May 8th – 20th.

What’sUpNewp’s Volvo Ocean Race coverage is brought to you in part by Sightsailing Of Newport

Ryan Belmore is the Publisher of What'sUpNewp. 
Belmore has been involved with What’sUpNewp since shortly after its launch in 2012, proudly leading it to be named Best Local News Blog in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly readers in 2018, 2019, and 2020 and an honorable mention in the Common Good Awards in 2021.

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Belmore graduated from Coventry High School and the Community College of Rhode Island. In addition to living in Newport for 10 years, he has lived in Portsmouth, Coventry, Providence, Smithfield, Burrillville, and East Greenwich.

Belmore currently serves as Vice President of the Board Of Directors for Fort Adams Trust and on the Board of Directors for Potter League For Animals. He previously served on the Board of Lucy's Hearth and the Arts & Cultural Alliance for Newport County.

Belmore and his wife, Jen, currently live in Alexandria, Virginia, a move they made in 2021. Read more about that here - https://whatsupnewp.com/2021/09/letter-from-the-publisher-some-personal-news/

Belmore visits Newport every couple of weeks to support the 12+ paid contributors What'sUpNewp has on the ground across Rhode Island, a place he called home for 39 years.

Belmore is a member of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, Society of Professional Journalists, and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association.

In 2020, Belmore was named Member of the Year by LION and won the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County's Dominque Award.
Belmore can be contacted at ryan@whatsupnewp.com and 401-662-1653.